What Is Genealogy, and How Can It Help Me?

Genealogy can be defined as the process of researching or discovering ones own family history. Genealogy is the process of finding out who your ancestors are and how they connect you with other people. The journey to uncover your own heritage or ancestry can be a very exciting and rewarding adventure. Imagine discovering that your great, great, great Grandfather traded beaver pelts with Daniel Boone? Or that Amelia Earhart is your second cousin once removed? Most people inquire about family connections from older living relatives, but let's face it, pinning down details and a date from memory just isn't a practical or a reliable source. Hopefully your ancestors kept good records, but just in case they didn't there are other alternatives to unlocking the secrets of the past, and that's where Genealogy comes into play.

Today, those interested in Genealogy have a veritable gold mine at their fingertips! The amount of information that is available online today is staggering. What used to take months and years to accomplish can now be condensed into hours and days. There are a variety of sites that have been set up specifically for genealogical research, for example Ancestry.com, genealogy.com and familysearch.org. Each of these websites offers a variety of information, such as census records, military records, marriage licenses, birth and death certificates, and tax info. One of the issues that can come up when trying to research your relatives through these types of websites is the process of pinpointing who is actually your relative and who is not. The sheer number of matching names can be a little daunting at times. But if you know at least a little bit about your heritage to begin with that can really give you a "leg up", when it comes to nailing down those connections. What the internet can save you is a trip to Ellis Island to look at the records yourself.

One thing to keep in mind especially as you go farther back on history is the idea that how a name is spelled today, may not be how it was always spelled. For example many names where misspelled and subsequently changed upon arrival to America at Ellis Island simply due to human error or poor handwriting.

Another source of information for your family tree can be the local courthouse. Similar to the online genealogical sites, you will find birth and death certificates, marriage licenses and divorce records. Many times these types of documents will contain information that you can use to fill in the gaps and facilitate your online research. Another great place to go is to a cemetery in a town you know that you had relatives in, bring a camera to take photos of the headstones. You could write down the info from the headstones, but keep in mind that will increase the likelihood for error.

The wonderful thing about genealogy are the rewards, present and future that it can bring to you and your family. The work that you are about to embark upon will have a ripple effect for many generations to come. We are all connected in this great human family and understanding those connections will increase our love for those who have come before and those who will come after.